Jean b



'(No Model.) i

J; B..G1RARD.

- l BIQYGLB. 1 N0. 281,489. Patented Julyk 1'7,` 1883.

N. PETERS, Phew-Dimm. Wnhinliun. D. CV

UNITI-:D STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN B. GIRARD, or sfr. AIME, QUEBEC, CANADA.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,489, dated July 17,1883.

Application tiled February 13, 1883. (No model.) x

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN B. GIRARD, of St. Aim, inthe Province ofQuebec, in the county of Richelieu and Dominionof Canada, have inventeda new and Improved Bicycle, of which the following is a full, clear, and.exact description. 'f

The object of my invention is to provid certain new and usefulimprovements in bicycles to facilitate the operating and steering of thesame.

The invention consists in a bicycle having the cranks of the frontVdriving wheel connected with hand-levers pivoted in hangers on thevehicle-frame, which hand-levers are provided at their lower ends witharms carrying foot-rests, whereby the said levers can be operated byhand and foot. Elbow-levers are pivoted on the same pivots with thehand-levers, and can be connected with the same or with the fork of thesteering-wheel, whereby, if desired, the said elbow-levers can be usedfor-steering the vehicle by means of the feet, if the bicycle is to bepropelled by means of the hands only. When the bicycle is to bepropelled by means of the hands and feet, it is steered by means of aback-rest attached to the upper swiveled end of the fork in which thesteering-wheel is journaled.

' Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of my improved bicycle. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the saine. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional elevation ofone of the foot-levers on the line :o x, Fig. l.

The driving-wheel A, which may be of the usual construction, isjournaled in the front end of the forked horizontal frame B, the rearend of which is provided with a vertical xed sleeve, B', through whichthe shaft C passes,

ltheflower end of which terminates in a fork,

D, in which the steering-wheel E is j ournaled.

The-horizontal frame. B supports a seat, F,

and to the upper end ofthe shaft C a detachable,y back-rest, G, isattached, which consists of a semicircnlarly-cnrved band itting closelyagainst the back of the rider. vers, H, provided at the upper endswithsnit- TWO hand-le- I able handles, are pivoted at their lower ends inhangers H', projecting downward from the horizontal frame B, and thesaid hand-levers H pass through verticalV longitudinal guideslots I inthe side bars of the horizontal frame. At their lower ends, and a shortdistance above their pivots, the hand-levers H are provided withdownwardly and backwardly inclined foot-levers J on the lower ends ofwhich outwardly-projecting foot-rests K are secured. The hand-levers Hare connected by means of connecting-rods L with the opposite cranks, M,on the shaft of the driving-wheel A. Elbow or bell-crank levers N arepivoted in the lower ends of the hangers H', on the same pivots as thehand-levers I-I, and at the outside of the same, each of which isprovided at the upper end with prongs N', adapted to pass into theopening in the lower end of a sliding block, O, held to slide verticallyon the corresponding hand-lever, H, which block O is provided with ahook, 0', adapted to pass into apertures a in the hand-levers. rI`heforwardlyprojecting arms of the elbow-levers N form treadles orfoot-rests I?. rIhe fork D, in which isl the steering-wheel E, isprovided with two laterally-projecting arms, Q, at the lower end, theouter ends of which arms can be connected by means of connecting-rods Rwith the upwardly-projecting arms of the elbowlevers N.

The operation is as follows z v 'Ihe operator seizes the hand-levers andplaces his feet on the foot-rests of the arms .I of the hand-levers H,and by operating the hand-levers by means of hands and feet propels thevehicle. The operator rests his back against the back-rest G, and steersthe vehicle by leaning against one side or the other of the back-rest,thereby turning the wheel' in either one direction or the other. Whilethus operating the vehicle the slide O is lowered, so that the prong N',at the upper end of the vertical arm or lever N, passes'into the recessin the lower end of the sliding block O, whereby the said lever Nwill becoupled to the hand-lever, the connectingrods B being disconnected fromthe lever N. If the machine is to be operated by the hands only, thesliding blocks O are raised and held in the raised position by-placingthe hooks O' in the upper aperture, a, in the levers H,

IOO

whereby the levers Nwill be disconnected from the hand-levers H, and theconnecting-rods R are coupled to the upwardly-projecting arms of thelevers N. The feet are placed in the foot-rests P of the levers N, andthe vehicle can be steered by depressing one or the other of the saidfoot-rests. The back-rest G is to be detached when the vehicle issteered by means of the feet.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a bicycle, the combination, with theframe B, the hangers H', and thc driving-wheel A, of the hand-levers H,pivoted inthe hangers, and provided with the downwardly and backwardlyinclined foot-levcrs J, and the rods L, connecting the hand-levers andthe cranks of the shaft of the drive-wheel, substantially as hereinshown and described.

2. In a bicycle, the combination, with the steering-wheel E and thehangers H', of the elbow-levers N, pivoted to said hangers, and

having their forwardly-projecting arms for1ning foot-rests, and the rodsR, connecting the upwardly-projecting arms of the elbow-levers with thefork of the steering-wheel, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a bicycle, the combination, with the hangers H' and thehand-levers H, of the elbow-levers N, provided with prongs N', thesliding blocks O, provided with openings in their lower ends, and meansfor .securing the said sliding blocks to the hand-levers, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

4. In a bicycle, the combination, with the fork D, provided with thelateral arms Q, the steeri11gwheel E, and the hangers H', of theelbow-levers N P and the connecting-rods R, substantially as hereinshown and described.

5. In a bicycle, the combination, with the frame B, provided with theslots L, the drive- Wheel A, cranks M, and hangers H', of thehand-levers H, the elbow-levers N P, provided with the projection N',the sliding block O, and the hook a, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

J. BTE. GIRARD.

